Anthony iskb



i UNITED STATES PATENT IMPROVEMENT IN HOSPITAL-BEDSTEADS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 49.4B2, dated Augustl5, 1865.

To all, whom yit may concern:

Be it known that 1", ANTHONY isKE, ot' Lancaster, in the county ofLancaster and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and linprovedPortable Extension and Adjustable Bedstead for Hospital andothcrPurposes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full andexact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figurel is aperspective view of the bedstead extended, showing the several parts inplace; Fig. 2, the adj ustable pillow-support, with one of the blocks Premoved from the pegs p in the tlange to thearms I, showing. theornamental sides, pawl or click-rods o, and lever k on the binding-rod Kor crossabrace K. L shows another cross-brace. Fig. 3 is the foot-boardor rodsQremoved from the sockets g on the frame C. Fig. 4.- shows theunder side when closed up and the jointed legs, dsc., folded in fortrans portation. Fig. 5 illustrates the operation of the lever la toraise thepillow-supports I, the portion B lowered for surgical operationor other purposes. Fig. 6 illustrates the same closed up and the patientin a sitting posture.

The cross-bar G, Fig. l, unites thc slats F on section B.

The object of my invention is to supply a want of a suitablehospital-bed, to which our county commissioners call my attention. Afterstudy and trial Isubmitted the same to their inspection, and it provedhighly satisfactory.

The drawings clearly sho'w the construction of the. several parts. rIhewhole may be constructed of light castings or wrought-iron, or portionsin wood, at the option ot' thc builder. The head-frame A is necessarilya little wider, and the slats E so arranged that the sides B andfoot-frame C, with its slats F, will till the spaces in the head-frameand slats, as shown in Fig. 6, where the frame B C is slid close up intothe frame A, the slats fortuin g a level top.

The mattress maybe made with a cross-hinge (when stift) to fall downover the end when the foot portion is shoved in.

The bolster-frame, Fig. 2, for the support of the pillows has two armedsides, I, with a flange, l', and pegs 11, for the support of a block, P,on each side, united by webbing or elastic straps in r771,011 whichstraps thc pillows are laid, thereby avoiding thc use of a bolster.

The arms I are held together by rods L K. The ends of K are prolongedand square, to which a lever, lr, is aflixed. This rod rests in anotched plate, i, on the frame A, ou which frame there is also ahorizontal ratchet, into which the cliclrrod or pawl o is set, and aixedby a pivot, u, to the ornamental arm-brace I. This pawl or click o mayalso be affixed to a rod extending from one side to the other, and bothoperated simultaneously by a lever attachment also. (Shown by the dottedline n, Fig. 2.) The arms I move in the notched plates i, and formnearly a right angle, so as to support the back and shoulders in everyposition, being adapted to the human frame and its flexures, whether ina recliued or sitting posture, graduated by the click-and-ratchetattachment, and held at any desired position, either as set by thepatient himself or the attendant, with ease. The mattress lies upon therod K and under the rod L and cross-web m. To adjust the mattress theblock P, with its attached webbing in, may be lifted from its pegs p outof the way, and readily replaced. The head frame or board H is so hingedas to fold inward but not outward, being made to rest against ashouldered plate. The legs It and U are affixed by pivots, on which theymove, and held in place by the hinged braces T, afiixed by a pin to thecrossboard D iu frame A from the cross-braces s, or by means of boltsthrust through the vacant holes i in the legs, and in the plate r on theframe, to which plates the legs are pivoted. The foot board or frame Q,is held in a socketplate, q, on each side of the frame C, and easily puton or removed. For surgical or obstetrical cases the legs U are foldedunder and the frame B drops down, held in place by check-pins w, (oneshown in Fig. 4,) resting on the rear cross frame or section, A, withthe mattress inclined in like manner, (shown by Fig. 5,) or the pa tientmay be brought into a sitting posture, as shown by Fig. 6. In short, itwill be found adapted to every desirable position, easily managed by theweakest nurse, and is believed to be of peculiar service in hospitals orthe sickchamber. The bolster-frame, Fig. 2, can be readily applied tocommon bedsteads, and is in itself a desirable improvement, withitslever click-and-ratchet attachment.

The head-board H may be dispensed with, as the bolstersupport willanswer instead. (Shown by Fig. 2.) The foot-board Q may also be madeadjustable, to support the patients feet when in a reelined or sittingposition, by means of side sockets.

It will be seen that the two sections A and B are wholly unconnected,and may be removed from each other, section B being simply laid orfitted into section A, the side rails ofB sliding in a notch on the rearcross-piece of section, A. The cross-bar G, Fig. l, simplyholds theslats F in place on section B. The pin w on each rail is simply to cheekor arrest the section from being drawn out altogether when it is t0 beextended to its full extent. This is, therefore,

no folding bedstead, but of two independent sections.

I am aware that folding bedsteads, variously hinged, are not new, bothwooden and metallic, for the use ot' ships, hospitals, or invalids.

I am also aware that ratcliets, pawls, pulleys, windlasses, Sto., havebeen applied 1n various manners for raising and adjusting certain por-,

tions. I therefore do not claim a folding bedstead, nor the pawl andratchet independently considered.

What I claini as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

1. A bedstead of two independent sections,

AB, fitting and sliding into each other in the` ANTHONY ISKE.lVitnesses:

WM. B. WILEY, JACOB STAUFFER.

